Image source, Cardiff Rugby

Cardiff rugby team's hopes of flying out of South Africa on Sunday were ended after two positive Covid-19 cases were confirmed in their squad - one of which is suspected to be the Omicron variant.

Fellow Welsh team Scarlets have left South Africa - they touched down in Dublin on Monday morning and are now in isolation in a Belfast hotel.

The west Wales side's chairman Simon Muderack told Scrum V all the players and staff had twice tested negative for Covid in the previous 48 hours.

Irish side Munster also have a positive Covid case and, like Cardiff, must remain in isolation in South Africa.

Cardiff's playing and coaching staff have now returned to their hotel to isolate.

South African government guidelines say individuals who test positive for Covid must isolate for 14 days from the day of developing symptoms, not the day of the positive result.

Cardiff were in South Africa to play in the United Rugby Championship, but all the tournament games in the country over this and next weekend have been called off.

Read more here.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the Omicron variant of the coronavirus poses a "very high" risk globally, and could lead to severe consequences in some regions.

"If another major surge of Covid-19 takes place driven by Omicron, consequences may be severe," it said in a technical note, adding however that "to date, no deaths linked to Omicron variant have been reported".

It confirmed previous reports that the variant had an unprecedented number of spike mutations, but added there were considerable uncertainties about the effect these could have.

The WHO said it expected more data within the coming weeks, and called on member states to make sure they were able to maintain health services even if the number of cases started to rise.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that scientists around the world were working to understand the Omicron variant.

The emergence of the new variant will also be discussed by G7 health ministers on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

As we have been telling you, mask wearing is going to become mandatory in shops and on public transport in England.

Now health minister Edward Argar has been asked why this wasn't being rolled out to pubs and restaurants as well.

He tells BBC Breakfast: "It's partly in the nature of pubs and restaurants and hospitality venues where people are eating, drinking... (they) may go to a bar to order a drink, but will often then sip the drink on their way back to their table where they will be seated.

"It's about striking a proportionate balance."

Argar points out that "in a pub, you're drinking - you can't do that if you're wearing a mask".

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has been speaking to BBC's Good Morning Scotland about the six cases identified in the country.

He says that in some of those cases, "we are aware that there is no travel history involved".

"So what that tells us is that there must be a degree of community transmission of this particular strain of the virus," says Swinney, adding that this "opens up further challenges" for interrupting the spread of the virus.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
BBC Tokyo correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Japan is closing its borders to new foreign visitors from midnight on Tuesday. That includes tourists, business travellers and foreign students.

The new restrictions do not include foreigners who have residency in Japan, or foreigners with multiple entry visas - such as spouse visas or work visas.

Japan is also reimposing tougher quarantine measures on everyone arriving from 10 countries in southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Anyone arriving from those countries, including Japanese citizens, will be required to spend 10 days quarantine in a government facility. These new measures are imposed for an initial one-month period.

What do we know about Omicron so far?published at 08:44 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

08:44 GMT 29 November 2021

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The variant has been named Omicron by the World Health Organization, following the pattern of Greek code-names like the Alpha and Delta variants.

It is also incredibly heavily mutated. Prof Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said there was an "unusual constellation of mutations" and that it was "very different" to other variants that have circulated.

"This variant did surprise us, it has a big jump on evolution [and] many more mutations than we expected," he said.

Prof de Oliveira said there were 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on the spike protein, which is the target of most vaccines and the key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body's cells.

Zooming in even further to the receptor binding domain (that's the part of the virus that makes first contact with our body's cells), it has 10 mutations compared to just two for the Delta variant that swept the world.

This level of mutation has most likely come from a single patient who was unable to beat the virus.

A lot of mutation doesn't automatically mean: bad. It is important to know what those mutations are actually doing.

Read more here.

Japan has become the latest country to reinstate tough border restrictions, banning all foreigners from entering the country from 30 November.

Japanese chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno has described the move as a "temporary, emergency measure" until more is known about the variant, Reuters news agency reports.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've mentioned, a decision is expected today on whether the Covid booster jab will be recommended for younger people in the UK.

The JCVI - the group of scientists that advises the government on vaccines - is set to advise if it should be rolled out to under 40s and if the time between doses should be reduced.

Currently, all over 40s can get a booster jab - as well as those with certain health conditions and frontline health and social care workers.

There have now been nine cases of the Omicron variant identified in the UK - including the six in Scotland we have just been telling you about.

New measures have been set out to try to tackle it, including masks becoming required in shops and on public transport in England, and PCR tests for all those coming in to the UK. Those measures are going before Parliament today.

Two of the other UK cases - picked up from analysis of recent positive Covid tests from all around the country - were confirmed on Saturday, in Essex and Nottingham. The third case identified on Sunday came from a visitor who spent time in the Westminster area of London, although the person is no longer in the UK, the Health Security Agency said.

You can read more here.

We are just hearing a bit more from Public Health Scotland, external about those six Omicron cases.

Enhanced contact tracing is being carried out to find out the origin of the six cases and identify anyone who has been in contact with those affected in recent weeks.

Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf says it is a "worrying time" for those six people. They will all get "expert health and support", he adds.

He says: “There is still much to learn about the Omicron variant.

"Questions remain about its severity, transmissibility and response to treatments or vaccines and scientists are working at pace to provide additional information.

"Until more is known we must be cautious and do everything we can to minimise the risk of spreading infection."

All close contacts of suspected Omicron cases are being advised to self-isolate for 10 days, whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Read our story here

Six cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant have been identified in Scotland, the BBC has just learned.

Four of the cases are in the Lanarkshire area and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

That's all the information we have on it for now, but we will bring you more as we have it.

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to today's coronavirus live page. We'll be bringing you the latest lines from the UK and around the world.

Here are some of the morning headlines:

• The UK's vaccine advisory body is set to announce if it will recommend rolling out the Covid booster to more people
• From tomorrow, masks are going to be compulsory in shops and on public transport in England
• There's concern about the new Omicron variant - it was announced on Sunday that a third case had been detected in the UK, and there are warnings more could be found in coming days
• The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally and there could be "severe consequences" in some areas, the World Health Organization says

• An urgent meeting of health ministers from the G7 group of nations will be held today to discuss Omicron
• The variant, initially reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa on Wednesday, is thought to have a higher reinfection risk
• It has been classed as a "variant of concern"
• In England, the Department for Education is now advising pupils in Year 7 and above, as well as school staff and visitors, to wear face coverings in communal areas
• South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa says he is "deeply disappointed" by travel bans against his country and its neighbours over the Omicron variant and called for them to be lifted
• Japan has become the latest country to reinstate tough border restrictions, banning all foreigners from entering the country from 30 November